Thus Kent, O princes, bids you all adieu; He'll shape his old courfe in a country new. [Exit. SCENE III. Enter Glo'ster, with France and Burgundy, and attendants. 1 Glo. Here's France and Burgundy, my noble lord. We first address tow'rd you, who with m this king Bur. Moft royal majefty, I crave no more than what your highness offer'd, Lear. Right noble Burgundy, When she was dear to us, P we held her fo; But now her price is fall'n. Sir, there she stands, If aught within that little feeming substance, Or all of it with our displeasure piec'd, And nothing more, may fitly like your grace, She's there, and she is yours. Bur. I know no answer. So the qu's; the fo's, R. and P. give this speech to Cordelia; and T. firft discovers this error. m The qu's read a for this. n P. alters this to at least; followed by all but J. • The qu's omit most. P The qu's and 1ft f. read we did hold, &c. 4 P. reads pierc'd. The qu's read elfe for more. Lear: Lear. Will you with those infirmities fhe owes, Unfriended, new adopted to our hate, Dower'd with our curfe, and stranger'd with our oath, Take her, or leave her? u Bur. Pardon me, royal fir; Election makes not up on fuch conditions. Lear. Then leave her, fir; for by the pow'r that made me, I tell you all her wealth.-For you, great king, I would not from your love make such a stray, [To France. To match you where I hate; therefore befeech you, Than on a wretch whom nature is afham'd Almost t' acknowledge hers. France. This is most strange! That she, who even but now was your y beft object, z The argument of your praife, balm of your age, b a Most best, most deareft, fhould in this trice of time Commit a thing fo monftrous, to dismantle • Before will the qu's infert fir. t The qu's read cover'd for dower'd. u P. and all after, omit me. w So read all the editions before P. who alters it to worthy, followed by thofe after him. But the double comparative is very common in Shakespear; and was, no doubt, the language of that age. It is not the part of an editor to modernife his author. * The qu's read that for who; the ft f. whom. y The ift f. omits best. Z P. alters this, Your praife's argument, &c. this is modernising again, for the fake of meafure: followed by all but J. a So the qu's; the fo's, R. and J. the beft, the deareft. P. first, and then all the rest, dearest and best. b Best (quoth 7.) is added from the firft copy. Why, Dr. J. there is no copy without it. So So many folds of favour! fure, her offence Must be of such unnatural degree That monsters it; (e or you for vouch'd affections Fall'n into taint:) which to believe of her Must be a faith that reason without miracle Cor. I yet beseech your majesty→ c P. and H. read fure th' offence, &c. d R. and P. read as monftrous is. So the qu's; the fo's read Or your fore-voucht affection fall into taint, &c. R. P. and H. read Or your fore-voucht affection could not fall into taint, &c. T. and W. Or your fore-vouch'd affection fall'n into taint, &c. J. reads as the fo's, but interprets or before, because or ever signifies before ever; but does he remember where or had at any time this fignification unless joined with ever? R. feems to make the best sense of all these readings, but then he is obliged to interpolate. But let us now try the old reading; and to make sense of it, the best way perhaps will be to confider what was the real caufe of the estrangement of Lear's love from Cordelia; it was the vouch'd affections of his three daughters: the two eldest vouch'd fuch affection to him as was beyond all nature and poffibility to a father; but Cordelia vouched only fuch an affection as was natural and reasonable for a daughter to feel for her father. Now Lear was fallen into taint, i. e. his judgment was corrupted, in preferring the extravagant and lying protestations of his eldest daughters, to the sincere and just ones of his youngest. And if we ruminate a little, this is the only fecond reafon for Lear's rejecting Cordelia that can with any probability be fuppofed to be gueffed at by France: for it would be rude in France to charge Lear with vouching the dearest affections to one he did not really love; and it is abfurd to suppose that so great a love should change to hate, without she had committed fome very great crime, and which France could not be brought to believe; therefore this fecond guess becomes the only one, and the true one, viz. that Regan and Gonerill had, by their fuperior art in coaxing, won all Lear's love from Cordelia. f_The 2d q. reads plaint; so Steevens, and gives no other reading. 8 H. alters for to fo, to make grammar of the paffage; but perhaps Shakespear defigned this as an interruption. See p. 17, note i. Το To fpeak and purpofe not, fince what I well intend, No unchafte action, or difhonour'd step That hath depriv'd me of your grace and favour. [To Lear. But ev'n for want of that, for which I'm m richer, A ftill foliciting eye, and fuch a tongue, n As I am glad I have not; though, not to have it, Hath loft me in your liking. Lear. Go to, go to! better thou hadst not been born Than not to have pleas'd me better. France. Is it no more but this? a tardinefs in nature, • That often leaves the hiftory unspoke, That it intends to do? My lord of Burgundy, h The fo's and R. read will for well. i The fo's (followed by all the rest) read that you make known, to make it grammar with I yet beseech your majesły: but I am apt to think Shakespear intended this as a broken fpeech, which fhould exprefs the modeft fear and bafhful diffidence of Cordelia, heightened by her concern under her prefent pitiable circumstances. She begins fpeaking to the king in a broken interrupted manner; then to France, that you may know, &c. then, without making a period, to the king again. The qu's read' unclean for unchafte. 1 H. reads the for for. m The qu's read rich. n So the qu's; all the rest read that for as. • P. alters I have not to I've not; followed by the rest. So the qu's; all the reft omit go to, go to ! The fo's and R. read t' have; but P. and all after, intirely omit to. So the qu's; all the rest omit no more. So the qu's; all the rest read which for that. So the qu's, fo's, and R. where ftands refers to love; Love is not love, when, &c, love is not love, that ftands, &c. all the rest read ftand. Aloof from the " entire point. Say, will you have her? w She is, herself, and dower. Bur. [To Lear.] * Royal Lear, Give but that portion which yourself propos'd, And here I take Cordelia by the hand, Dutchefs of Burgundy. Lear. Nothing:-I have fworn y. Bur. I am forry then you have fo loft a father, [T: Cor. That you must lose a husband. Cor. Peace be with Burgundy, Ꮓ Since that refpects of fortune are his love, I fhall not be his wife. France. Fairest Cordelia, that art moft rich, being poor, Moft choice, forfaken; and most lov'd, despis'd. a Thee and thy virtues here I feize upon; Be it lawful, I take up what's caft away. Gods! Gods! 'tis ftrange, that from their * cold'st neglect My love fhould kindle to inflam'd respect. So the qu's; all the reft read th' intire. W. explains intire, right, true; J. fingle, unmixed with other confidera◄ tions. But ་་ w She is, herself, and dower (which is the reading of the qu's) explains the meaning of intire, whole. "That is not love which is mingled with "regards; that cannot be love that stands aloof from the whole point (the perfon and the dower) for in Cordelia you have both herself and her "dower.” Shakespear, I suppose, means, that the super-plus of perfections and good qualities the poffefled above the generality of her sex, were to her in lieu of a dower. The reft read he is herself a dowry. * So the qu's; all the reft read royal king, i. e. kingly king. Is it not ftrange that none of the editors should confult the qu's in this place? for if they had, they would certainly have restored the old reading. y After fworn, the fo's and R. read I am firm. The fo's, R. and P. read respect and fortunes. a The ift q. reads ceaze for feize. *The ft q. reads couldft. Thy |